Victorian Gothic and Gothic Revival - Essay Example

Victorian Gothic and Gothic Revival The Gothic Revival movement began in the mid 18th century in England and was a lobby group that sought to revivemedieval art and architecture. Many art and architectural styles were a product of their era and were represented by their own craftsmen and designers. In each era designers and architects were inspired by the creations of the earlier eras. Most designers sought to use the older styles and apply contemporary touches prevalent in the current era. One of the leading proponents of Gothic Revival of 19th century British architecture was Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812 - 1852). His literature on architecture were to revolutionise structures in England. Pugin's book True Principle of Pointed or Christian Architecture published in 1841 presents arguments in favour of reviving the Gothic style architecture. He stressed a case of 'principle' not 'style' and presented rationalist, functionalist and moral principles into the architectural debate. Critic, John Ruskin, suggested that Gothic buildings surpassed other kinds of architecture because of the amount of effort and craftsmanship that was invested in decorating each stone. But many of these early gothic structures they referred to such as churches in the period 1130 to 1140s borrowed from Romanesque traditions (Wilson 2005 p.13) The word Gothic came into fashion when art critic Giorgio Vassari contemptuously equated medieval architecture to barbarism, a throwback to the Goths who invaded Rome (Britain Express 2007). There were certain characteristics of Gothic buildings that stood them apart from the rest. Some characteristics of Gothic styles evolved in time - stark vertical lines, high ceilings, small wall space, pointed door openings and windows and pointed arches (Frankl 2001 p.42). Neo-Gothic style or Gothic revival, originated from the Middle Ages and examples include Notre Dame Cathedral and Palace of Westminster. The main characteristics include flying buttresses, cathedral-style engravings and tall spires. Some of these features were used in a number of skyscrapers in the early 20th century up until 1930. Examples include: The Chicago Tribune Tower and the Woolworth Building (Richman 2006). The Early English period in architecture from 1190 to 1250 was characterized by pointed arches called lancet, used to span wide spaces and also above doorways. Lancet windows have no tracery and were much narrower than their height. Rather than a single large pillar, the columns were made of a group of shafts around a central column. The use of pointed arch walls allowed larger window openings and flying buttresses supported the high walls and vaulted stone roofs. Examples of Early English period styles include Lincoln Cathedral (1220) and Whitby Abbey. The Decorated Period in architecture from c.1290 to c.1350 was a development of the Early English style that was prevalent in the 13th century. The most important element that characterized this style was the window tracery. Intricately designed windows were sectioned by mullions, stretching up to the arched top of the window. The mullions then bifurcate and criss-cross, interconnecting to fill the upper portion of the window consisting of a web of intricate patterns called tracery. Interior rooms and spaces feature high columns supporting vaulted roofs. A number of British churches and cathedrals have the decorated style. One of the periods that sought to revive Gothic style architecture was the Victorian period (1837 to 1901). This was an era where style was a predominant factor in almost every sphere of life whether it was clothes or buildings. The Victorian style is often associated with Gothic style architecture of buildings, dark wood furniture, an abundant of ornaments in wealthy homes and a high culture in architecture, painting, music and sculpture. Original Gothic styles were widespread in the 12th to 16th centuries but from the 18th century Gothic revival art and architecture came into popular use with flying buttresses, pointed arches, the usage of coloured bricks and significant details on buildings and structures. Pugin popularised Gothic revival architecture within the inner walls of the Palace of Westminster and was responsible for giving the Gothic style a kind of legitimacy (Fig.1). During the Victorian period, Queen Victoria's arrival to the throne saw the introduction of unacquainted historical styles that were endorsed as a result of commercialism which had taken over the furniture producing enterprises. Gradually, the prevailing classical styling fell into disuse and abandonment. In 1835 Pugin produced Gothic furniture in the same but improved style of the 15th century. Following the 1851 exhibition and inspired by Pugin, the Gothic theme was developed by revivalists. Medieval paintings became the source of inspiration for reformist designers like William Burgess who created furniture that were decidedly distinctive and decorative. He built a Tower House on Melbury Road, medieval in style with matching furnishings. Burgess' other creation was St.Finbarr's Cathedral designed in mini-Gothic style. Burgess' obsession with all things medieval was apparent in the details - the gargoyles, birds and beasts, the soffits, the rose-window and throng of ornate carvings. These were a particular feature of cathedrals, churches and abbeys (Stevens 2000 p.14). Charles Eastlake's (1865) designs exemplified oak furniture fashioned in reformed Gothic style that showed inhibited carved surface decoration and joined assembly. He favoured Victorian styles for the way they merged 'the picturesque and the domestic' better than Gothic furniture (Osband 2003 p.84) More elaborately designed furniture with Gothic renderings were fashioned by Bruce Talbert in 1867. Some of his designs utilized early English style which included serried turnings and concentrated panel ornamentation. Another Reformed Gothic furniture designer was Charles Bevan who used lightweight woods etched with natural patterns (Osband 2003 p.85). Among his creations was the drawing room commode (Fig.2). Other designs included Victorian walnut Davenport desk and a reformed Gothic reclining armchair in walnut design (1865). John Ruskin was a leading critic of Victorian era's society and art. His architectural writings argues that a structure is a reflection of the morality of the era of its build and also the architect's moral state. His The Stones of Venice was a well known study of architecture (Victorianweb 2007). It sketches the history of the city to explain the influence national morality on the development of art. The book demonstrates that Gothic architecture of Venice evolved from a position of national faith and domestic worth and its Renaissance architecture arose from a state of suppressed national identity and national corruption. He talks of architectural styles such as Venetian Gothic and facets like ornamentation. He relates a society's art to its philosophy and ethics. William Morris was actively involved in reviving medieval crafts, including preserving medieval architecture. He commissioned a designer to design Red House in South London to honour medievalism, which included painted murals, woven tapestries, stained glass windows and crafted furniture (achome 2007). While constructing the house, each brick and tile was chosen to and placed to give a distinction in colour giving no impression of uniformity. His style of decorating was natural, rich and simple, discarding the magnificence of the French, Victorian royalist influence and instead focused on the gothic, medieval styles (Fig.3). His belief was that things inside the home should not only be attractive but also functional (Artscrafts 2006). The Perpendicular Gothic period (1350 to 16th century) is one of the categories in English Gothic architecture and is named so because importance was given to vertical lines (Wikipedia 2007). This style featured windows that were extremely large offering stained glass craftsmen a wider canvas to work on. Doorways were surrounded by square head over the arch shape and spandrels are adorned with tracery. This period also saw the usage of pointed arches (Fig.4). Banbury Cross located in Banbury, Oxfordshire was built in 1859 in the town centre to celebrate Queen Victoria's eldest daughter's marriage. The cross is fifty-two feet high, made of stone and shaped like a spire. It's apex has a gilt cross and the structure is a monument decorated in Gothic style (Wikipedia 2007). Conclusion Gothic revival paid tribute to the old Gothic styles by using to a certain extent some of the elements that were a hallmark of Gothic architecture and art. Though neo-gothic was a simple more modern form of Gothic it nevertheless supplemented the characteristics and distinctiveness that gave gothic styles such imposing qualities. References Achome (2007). The Arts and Crafts Home. Available at http://www.achome.co.uk/antiques/antiques.htm [Accessed 13-3-07] Artscrafts (2006). The Arts and Crafts Movement in Great Britain. William Morris and the Medieval Revival. Available at http://www.artscrafts.org.uk/roots/wmorris.html [Accessed 13-3-07] Britain Express (2007). Gothic Architecture in England. Available at http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Gothic-architecture.htm [Accessed 12-3-07] Frankl P.(2001) Gothic Architecture (The Yale University Press Pelican History of Art). Yale University Press. P.42 Osband, L (2003) Victorian Gothic House Style: An Architectural and Interior Design Source Book for Home Owners. David and Charles Publishers - p.84, 85 Richman, S.M. (2006). Neo-Gothic. Available from Richmangalleries. http://www.richmangalleries.com/neo-gothic.htm [Accessed 14-3-07] Stevens D. (2000). The Gothic Tradition. Cambridge University Press. P.14 Victorianweb (2006). John Ruskin. Available at http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/ruskin/ruskinov.html [Accessed 14-3-07] Wikipedia (2007) Banbury Cross. Available from Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banbury_Cross#Banbury_Cross [Accessed 15-3-07] Wikipedia 2007. Perpendicular Period. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpendicular_Period [Accessed 15-3-07] Wilson C. (2005). The Gothic Cathedral: The Architecture of the Great Church 1130-1530. Thames & Hudson. P.13 Read More